1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and more particularly, to dual-polarity overvoltage clamp devices for integrated circuits (ICs).
2. Description of the Related Technology
Certain electronic systems can be exposed to a transient electrical event, or an electrical signal of a relatively short duration having rapidly changing voltage and high power. Transient electrical events can include, for example, electrostatic discharge (ESD) events and/or electromagnetic interference (EMI) events.
Transient electrical events can damage integrated circuits (ICs) inside an electronic system due to overvoltage conditions and/or high levels of power dissipation over relatively small areas of the ICs. High power dissipation can increase IC temperature, and can lead to numerous irreversible problems, such as gate oxide breakdown, junction damage, metal damage, and surface charge trapping. Moreover, transient electrical events can induce latch-up (in other words, inadvertent creation of a regenerative low-impedance path), thereby disrupting the functioning of the IC and/or potentially causing permanent damage to the IC. Thus, there is a need for low power consumption devices capable of providing an IC with high levels of reliability even when operating in harsh conditions, such as high temperature and electrically noisy environments, to allow precision signal processing for wide dual-polarity signal swings.